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Women Human Rights Defenders, or WHRDs, around the world regularly face threats, violence and attacks on their children and families. A new UN initiative gives visibility and recognition to WHRDs’ work in an important step towards creating a safe environment to allow them to continue their legitimate work.

In preparation for the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2015, CWGL drafted a statement to encourage UN Member States to fulfill their human rights obligations toward the full realization of women’s rights.

Brunei Darussalam’s record on women’s rights will be examined by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for the first time on Wednesday 29 October 2014 in meetings that will be webcast live.

The new High Commissioner has the opportunity to grasp the torch lit by his predecessors and fully embrace and defend an uncompromising stance for women’s equality - and his legacy will be judged on his commitment to doing so.

Eight WLUML networkers from Sudan, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria headed to Geneva this month to take part in the two-week Human Rights Defenders Advocacy Programme hosted by the International Service for Human Rights. Under the Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Development for Democratisation (WELDD) programme, WLUML sent their networkers to join 12 other participants from around the world working on diverse issues such as indigenous and environmental rights, corporate responsibility, and LGBTI rights.

Jennifer Allsopp: Yakin, you were invited to Oxford to deliver the annual Barbara Harrell-Bond lecture at the Refugee Studies Centre. You stressed in your talk, and have repeatedly argued elsewhere, that violence against women is a human rights issue. Could you say something more about the relationship between violence against women and human rights?

On 22 January 2014, the United Nations (UN)-backed Geneva II peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition are scheduled to be held with the goal of ending the Syrian conflict and creating a transitional government. However, nearly 14 years after the landmark passage of UN Security Council resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) calling on UN member states to “increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts,” no women have been included in the Syrian peace negotiations.